and when the people unite to obtain a reform, they cry out they are traitors who want to overturn the govern ment, and introduce a republic by fuch infinuations and artful misrepresentations, they have alienated the affections of our royal fovereign, and made him look on a loyal nation, as a neft of traitors who are only to be kept in awe by an immenfe army, by hanging, transportation, and imprisonment-not content with this, they at immenfe coft, fuborned fpies, and perjured informers, for profecuting innocent men, in order to eftablith the truth of the exiftence of a treafonable plot.

"Their fole object fince the firft dawn of liberty in eightytwo, has been to ftifle it in its birth, and keep the people in ignorance and difunion. They with all their might and foul confpired alienate and eftrange the different religious fects; firft by holding out the Catholics as objects of danger and averfion, as inimical and fubverfive of a Pro teftant government, but when the liberal fpirit of the Northern Proteftants, fruftrated this hellish attempt, and united all fuch in fraternal union, the North was not to be forgiven, but punifhed for thwarting the machinations of a junto. Since the Catholics were found worthy of protection from the ftate, the Northern diffenters were the next object of attack-" they were Deifts, Jacobins, and dangerous men," in fact they had too much fenfe and information, too much liberality and love of libertyOho, "they correfpond with the Jacobin club, and with Robertspierre and the Directory, and General Clarke, and with God knows who elfe"-out bounces a report the fecret committee-" the North is in arms, they have got Cannon and vast quantities of Ammunition and regular armies, and conflitutions, and they are marching to Dublin, to roaft and eat the Lord lieutenant, and the Privy Council, and Paddy Duignan, and the two Houses of Parliament, and all bis Ma. jefty's liege and loyal fubjects."

of

What a dreadful confternation enfued. The whole city was terrified out of its wits. It must be true-the two Houses

of

of Parliament and their Committees faid it-every man of property believed it, and implicitly threw himfelf into the protecting arms of government. They were entrusted with a vigour beyond the law, to burn houses, take away arms, tranfport without a trial, and hang without a trial, by removing a perjured evidence, and giving qut that be was murdered.-Troops were poured in as if the land was in open war-a whole province was declared out of the protection of the law, and that the richest, beft informed, moft fober, and induftrious province in the kingdom; opulent and induftrious men were fent by thousands aboard the tender; thousands filled all the jails in the kingdom, and the virtuous, chafte military hero of this tragedy, took shelter behind an act of indemnity; an act of indemnity! ob tempora, ob! mores! Oh! humanity thou art fled to brutish beafts!-who can doubt, cries the honest unbribed Mr. C. F. Sheridan, the existence of treafon, when fo many are hanged for it-oh! no doubt of it-no doubt Mr. Orr is a trator, a military murderer fwears it, and a drunken jury declares it.

It is by fuch arts as thefe, that our beft countrymen are to be murdered-our liberties trampled-our land laid wafte-our paffions raifed-or fears excited-our reafon fo difordered, that we will be glad to embrace any project that promises the fmalleft repofe; thus is the well meaning, or wealthy man to be driven to the defperate extremity of an union, and glad would he be to do any thing for peace and quietness.

With the approach of the feffion come new alarms, and new danger. << General Clarke brother in law to that terrible fellow Buonaparte, and an Irifh renegade, has come poft from Italy, in a balloon or a row-boat, he has concerted the plan of an invafion, with the United Irishmen, he has escaped the vigilance of our two reconnɔitering armies, got back to Italy, and we will be all murdered or burned in our beds-Giffard! Giffard! Giffard! old Croaker was nothing to thee-you outdo him quite-be

really

really believed in danger, he received dreadful anonymous letters you do not believe in danger, you compoje dreadful anonymous letters. You are an industrious labourer in the vineyard-the labourer is worth his hire; but all this would only excite my merriment, or a smile of contempt, if the comment in the Dublin Journal, on this forged news of Clark's arrival, did not very seriously attract my attention, and alarm my suspicions. I beseech you, my Countrymen, attend to it particularly-it, deferves your atmoft attention.

[FROM THE DUBLIN JOURNAL OF SATURDAY OCT. 7.

"For the last two days the citizens of Dublin bave been sccupied by a very extraordinary report, which upon enquiry we believe to be fully supported by the fact; the fubflance of this report we now give :

"That a General in the French fervice, named Clarke, the brother-in-law and coadjutor of Buonaparte, and by birth an Irishman, had been for forty hours in the last week in this city; kad beld conferences with the leaders of the United Irishmen, and having obtained his information, and given his directions bad embarked in a fishing smack from Killiny-bay, on Sunday morning laft."

A fho rt time however, will ferve to baffle and counteract the projeas of treason, and to exhibit to the citizens of Dublin facts which might now be as incredible as they are horrible, Sc. &c."

What is this but preparing us for new terrors-we are to expect new arrefts, fresh profecutions, new penal ftatutes-when will all this end? I fhould not be surprised, if the printer, or conductor of the PRESS, was implicated in fome charge-" this paper is dangerous, we must stop it if poffible, it may enlighten the people, we cannot ftop it by a military banditti, as we did the Northern Starwhat other means fhall we take?-can we implicate them in treafon or fedition ?" no, mild and merciful-governor, it would much perplex, even the practiced ingenuity of Crown

Crown lawyers to effect this-no-the real traitors are thofe who libel a loyal and generous people, who call an attempt at reform, an attempt at revolution, and punish it accordingly. I will my countrymen, trespass no longer on your patience-I will in a future letter, pursue this fubject, fatisfied with believing, what all nature fully and loudly proclaims-that there is a God-and that God will never fuffer the Emerald of the world, to be devoured by fwine.

WM. CAXON,

MARTIAL LAW.

We have already feen many inftances of the bleffings of Scotch Military progress, in breaking the spirit of Ireland-the following is an inftance of Welch galantry for the fame purpose.

SIR,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS.

HAVING been confined as a prifoner for two nights in the

guard house in the town of Newry. I think it incumbent on me to avoid any misrepresentation taking place, which might injure my character, and likewife to fhew, how the inhabitants of that town are abused, to ftate for what and by whom I was confined.

On Tuesday night laft, at five minutes paft eleven, I was fitting in my mother's houfe, with a few friends, ladies and gentlemen, after fupper, when we were alarmed with the breaking of windows, and inftantly on my opening the hall door, to fee who the ruffians were, a common informer of the name of Frederick Dutton, with a party of the ancient British Fencible Cavalry, armed with piftols and fwords, entered the house and Dutton defired one of his party to take hold of me, and I was taken with a piftol pointed close to my breaft, with Mr.

Mr. Robert Wallace of Newry, (who was one of our party,) to the guard houfe, and left there, with orders. from Dutton, that if either Mr. Wallace or I spoke a word, to fend for him and he would fettle us; he returned to my mother's, and brought with him two of my brothers and Mr. Patrick Mc. Cawly of Newry, who was likewife one of our party, and whom he had left behind the time before; I enquired from an officer of the regiment, who came to the guard houfe a fhort time afterwards, to know if he could difcharge us, but his answer was, that he had not any thing to do with Mr. Dutton's prifoners, that Mr. Dutton had a guard of his own. Shortly afterwards, W. Beath, Efq. a magiftrate for the Co. Down, came and was willing to discharge Mr. Mc. Cawly, (the reft of us did not apply to him,) but the corporal dare not obey him. Two officers of the fame regiment, likewife faid, they could not do any thing without the Lieutenant Colonel's or Mr. Dutton's directions. We remained there until the following day between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, when we were discharged by an Officer, faying, the Lieutenant Colonel had not any farther business with us.

On Wednesday the news of the Defeat of the Dutch Fleet having arrived, a bellman went through the streets, ordering the inhabitants, by the directions of Achefon Thompson, Efq. Senefchal, to illuminate their windows that evening, and indeed the town was very well lighted not a house to be feen without candles burning.

About fifteen minutes paft nine o'Clock, I was furprized at feeing three of the officers of the regiment of ancient British Fencible Cavalry, breaking the windows of Mr. Jofeph Wright's houfe oppofite mine; and feeing them advancing to break my windows, I began to tell them that I had juft had my lights put out, when one of them of the name of Bargainy drew his fword and swore if I spoke another word he would cut off my head. Finding I could not speak to them with safety I returned into the

house,